Prince Edward Island Advisory Council on the Status of Women
Presented in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on January 20, 2014,
by Jane Ledwell, Executive Director, and Michelle Jay, Program Coordinator

The Prince Edward Island Advisory Council on the Status of Women has a mandate to advise the provincial government and educate the public about issues of importance to the status of PEI women. While we do not offer front-line services, we do hear first-hand from women in the community who are struggling, and we do offer them referrals and ensure their experiences are reflected in our policy recommendations.

It is in this spirit that we share comments on the gender impacts of recent changes to the Employment Insurance system in Atlantic Canada. These changes are having substantive impacts on incomes for women and families, which were already unequal to incomes for men. The changes are also significant in that they diminish the ability of women to apply creativity, adaptability, and flexibility to get the incomes they require to raise their families in good health and to play a full and active part in their community.

To read the entire 5-page submission, it is available as a pdf at this link.